8. Luka
Chapter 8
Luka
I frown at the address she sends me. Why the fuck is she in that area of the city by herself? Not wanting to waste time texting questions, I tug on a pair of jeans, throw on a T-shirt, and brush my teeth in record time. On my way out, I grab my gun from the nightstand and tuck it in the waistband of my jeans so it’s hidden by my shirt. I’ve been careful to hide this part of my life from Lara, but I don’t like walking around unarmed, especially if she’s going to be with me.
I shake my head to clear it, still groggy and wishing I’d gotten a few more hours of sleep. It had taken me forever to fall asleep last night after I’d made good use of her panties. My head had been filled with images of Lara, haunted by the sweet sounds of her moans and needy whimpers and the memory of how fucking good she’d tasted.
Running downstairs, I see my dad standing in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in his hands. I briefly think about grabbing one for myself, but I’m not about to leave Lara waiting any longer than I have to.
“You’re in a hurry,” my dad says, eyeing me over the rim of his mug. “Off to meet Val and Max?”
I swear he already knows the answer before I even say, “No,” and pull on my black boots.
He watches me, and when I don’t elaborate, he calmly says, “Your mom and I want to meet her. Bring her over for supper one night.”
“How do you even know about her?”
My dad smiles. “I know everything, Son.”
“For your sake, I hope not,” I say, remembering the way I’d eaten Lara out on the penthouse terrace.
My dad laughs. “Don’t worry. I invade enough privacy to know you all are safe, but not enough that it would make it impossible for me to ever look you and Lara in the eyes.”
He smiles even bigger when he sees my reaction to him knowing her name. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am, and I really fucking hate that.
“I gotta go. We can talk about your complete lack of boundaries later, Dad.”
“I told you I don’t know details. That’s a boundary,” he argues, but he’s still fighting a laugh when he says it.
I give him a wave and get in the elevator before going straight to my motorcycle. This’ll get me to Lara in the least amount of time, because I’m not above weaving in and out of traffic, not if it gets me to her a few minutes quicker.
Shoving my helmet on, I start the bike and rev the engine, speeding out of the parking garage to get to her. I love that she reached out to me and that she trusts me enough to ask for my help. I’ve always been there for my family, but taking care of Lara is different. It soothes something inside me that I hadn’t realized was restless. It’s more than just me wanting to take care of her. I need to. It’s a burning desire that almost makes it impossible for me to walk away when I drop her off at her apartment. I don’t like the separation, the not knowing where she is at all times, and I’m not sure I can tolerate it for much longer.
My desire to have her near at all times and the protective feelings I have for her magnify when I get closer to where she’s waiting. It doesn’t matter that it’s early afternoon and the sun is shining brightly. This place is a fucking dump, and knowing that she’s here makes my skin crawl. As soon as I see her standing on the curb, all alone and looking so damn small and completely unprotected as men who are twice her size openly stare at her as they walk past has my whole body vibrating with a rage that I have to forcibly tamp down.
She hears my bike and looks up, recognizing me instantly despite the dark helmet and giving me a grateful smile. Thank god she’s not wearing one of her short skirts today. I’m not sure my sanity could take her standing on a nasty street corner with her beautiful thighs on full display. She’s in jeans and, despite the heat, another long-sleeved shirt. I park in front of her and pull my helmet off. In seconds I’m standing and pulling her against me, hugging her tightly while I cup the back of her head and taste the lips I can’t fucking get enough of. Her body molds to mine, just like it always does, and she gives a soft whimper that goes straight to my dick.
When I finally pull back, we’re both breathing heavily and not giving the slightest fuck that people are staring at us.
“I missed you,” I whisper against her lips.
I feel her smile before she whispers back, “I missed you too.”
Still keeping her tightly against me, I look at the building we’re standing in front of and groan when I see Lou’s Topless Bar written across a dingy sign that’s sandwiched between silhouette drawings of two very busty women.
“I can’t believe you came here on your own.”
“I didn’t go in, though.”
I lift a brow at her very bad attempt to paint this in a good light while she smiles up at me. I trace the line of her full lips.
“Your smile would usually get your gorgeous ass out of any and all trouble, but not when it involves putting your life at risk. What the hell are you doing here, kisa ?”
“Well, first, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“I will always be here when you need me.”
She smiles even bigger and kisses the tip of my finger. Looking back at Lou’s dump of a club, she says, “Okay, so I’m not exactly proud of it, but I went snooping in my mom’s room last night. My online search is giving me zero results, and I’m tired of not knowing who my dad was and what the hell happened to make my mom the way she is. The only thing I found was a pair of stripper heels and an old business card for this place.”
“You think your mom worked here?”
“Maybe. It’s hard for me to picture my mom stripping, but she’s so private. I don’t know much about her at all. She never talks to me about her family or where she grew up. When I ask, she blows off my questions and tells me that she doesn’t need anyone but me, that no one else matters.” Her blue eyes meet mine again when she says, “But I’m tired of not knowing, and I want you in my life, Luka, so she’s going to have to get over her ridiculous hatred of your family. Maybe if I can find out what happened, I can fix things.”
“I’m not going anywhere, kisa . Even if you never get your answers or your mom continues to hate my family, I’m not leaving.” I smile and kiss her forehead. “She’ll learn to love me. I’ll win her over with my charm.”
Lara laughs and leans into me. “If anyone could do it, it’s you.”
“So you were going to go in here and ask around, see if anyone remembers your mom?”
“That was the plan, but then I saw the place and chickened out.”
“You didn’t chicken out. You listened to your instincts and used common sense. Next time call me before you leave home, though.”
“I will.”
“I’d prefer to do this without you here, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you on the curb alone.”
Her grip tightens on me like she’s trying to make sure I don’t leave her behind while I go in, and I smile down at her. “Well, that’s just fucking adorable.”
“What is?”
“That you think you can physically overpower me. If I decide you’re safer staying out here by my bike, then that’s where your sweet ass will be, kisa, and there’s not a damn thing you can do to change it. Your safety comes first. Always .”
“I don’t know how you manage to make being bossy so incredibly sexy, but you do.”
“I’m glad you think so, because I’m just getting started.” I keep my hand on the nape of her neck and look back at Lou’s. “Until I say otherwise, you won’t say a word in there. You will not leave my side, not for anything, no matter what, and if things turn to shit, you will stand behind me. If things really turn to shit, you will run.” I look back at her, making sure she understands what I’m saying. “Promise me, kisa . Promise me, or we don’t go in.”
“You were right about there being more bossiness headed my way.”
I smile down at her and give a soft laugh, because she has no idea how overbearing I’m going to be when it comes to her safety. I smile even bigger when I think about the bodyguard I’m already planning on assigning to watch over her.
“Promise me, kisa .”
“I promise.”
Satisfied, I take her hand in mine. “What’s your mom’s name?”
“Chloe Daniels.”
“Okay, baby, remember what I said.”
She nods up at me right before I lead her inside the dingy bar. The inside is exactly what I’m expecting based on the outside. No surprises at Lou’s. What you see is most definitely what you get. The lighting is low, the floors sticky with a substance that I hope will forever remain a mystery to me, and despite the fact that it’s only lunchtime, there’s already a few loyal customers sucking back beers while watching the lackluster dance that some poor woman is stuck performing. Her tits are bare, her thong stuffed with only a few sad dollars, and the expression on her face makes it clear she’d rather be anywhere than right here.
That makes two of us, lady.
Lara stiffens at my side, and I let go of her hand so I can wrap my arm around her shoulders instead, pulling her against me while I lean down to kiss her head .
“Let’s make this quick, sweet girl,” I whisper over the rhythmic beat of the music. “This place is really fucking depressing, and I hate having you here.”
“Agreed,” she whispers back.
I lead Lara to the bar where the bartender is waiting. He’s older, probably late fifties, and time has not been kind to him. A substantial gut hangs over his jeans, and he’s giving the stripper a run for her money as far as breast size goes. He’s also been watching us ever since we walked in, and as we step closer, his eyes run over me, spending a few extra seconds on my neck tattoos, and when I rest my hand on the bar, I make sure he can see the Grim Reaper on my arm. He doesn’t say anything, but I see the quick flash of fear. This is our territory, and he may not know my name, but he knows who I am.
“Is Lou around?” I ask. “We need to talk to him.”
The bartender runs a hand through his greasy hair while keeping the other one resting on the bar so I can tell he’s not reaching for a weapon. He’s also careful to not look at Lara. He’s not a stupid man, which saves me a lot of trouble.
“He’s in his office,” the man says, nodding his head to the dark hallway that’s to the left of the stage. “You can’t miss it. It’s the only other door past the bathrooms.”
I keep eye contact for a few seconds, debating whether or not to call Val or Max, but the man quickly dips his head, and it’s obvious he’s not looking to start anything. Keeping my arm around Lara, I lead her past the stage where the woman is grinding against the pole to the sound of country music and half-hearted catcalls.
“God, I hope my mom didn’t work here,” Lara mutters once we hit the hallway and the music drops a few decibels.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I stop, turning her around in the small space and lifting her face to mine. “Are you sure you want to know the truth?” I brush back a strand of her hair. “It might not be anything good,” I warn her. “It might be better if you didn’t know.”
She stubbornly shakes her head just like I knew she would. “No, I want to know. Anything is better than not knowing. ”
I want to disagree with her, to tell her there are a lot of things worse than not knowing, but I can tell by the look in her eyes that there’s no deterring her. She wants the truth, and she’s going to get it. My job is to make sure she’s safe while she does it.
“Okay, let’s go meet Lou.”
She smiles up at me and leans into my touch when I cup her cheek. Before she turns towards the office door, she kisses my palm, and if she keeps it up she’s going to defy all logic and make me hard in this shithole of a place. Thankfully, she starts walking, pulling me along behind her, because the last thing I want is to meet Lou while straining against my jeans. Being the owner of a strip club means he’s probably seen more guys walking around with hard-ons than I want to think about, but I consider everything Lara and I share to be private, even the effect she has on my body, and that means I won’t be sharing it with anyone else, not now, not ever.
I give the flimsy door a sharp knock when we’re before it, not because I’m trying to be polite, but because I don’t want to walk in on him doing something that I’ll be forced to look at. I have a feeling meeting Lou is going to be bad enough, but meeting Lou while he’s getting a blowjob from some down-on-her-luck stripper would be a thousand times worse.
“What do ya want?”
The angry voice that invades the hall manages to be both raspy and phlegmy, a skill only a longtime smoker can achieve. When I open the door and the overpowering stench of stale cigarette smoke wafts over us, I know I must be right.
Lou sits behind a small desk in a room that’s barely big enough to fit it. He’s older than his bartender and the exact opposite as far as build goes. Lou is scrawny, but it’s the kind of thin that’s wiry and usually has a surprising amount of strength behind it. Aside from being too thin, he’s also ugly in a way that’s almost offensive—eyes too small and too close together, a weak chin that just disappears into his neck, and acne scars that have not faded over time. I’m beginning to understand why Lou opened up this place. He’s the kind of man who has to pay women to be around him.
“Who the fuck are you?” His dark eyes run from me to Lara, and he lingers on her long enough to piss me off. “You want a job, honey?”
“Say that one more time.” He hears the barely controlled rage in my voice and narrows his eyes at me, trying to not look affected, but I can see the first spark of fear ignite and start to take hold.
“And you are?”
“Luka Melnikov.”
“Fuck,” he whispers, sitting back in his chair and rethinking his attitude. “I didn’t know.”
“And that’s why you’re still breathing,” I tell him.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Lara give me a quick look, but she remembers what I told her and doesn’t say anything.
Good fucking girl.
There’s one chair in front of his desk, and I’m not about to put my girl’s ass on it, so I sit down and pull her onto my lap, resting one hand on her thigh and giving it a soft squeeze to let her know everything is okay.
“Do you remember a woman named Chloe Daniels?”
Lou sighs and looks back at Lara, but it’s not in the pervy way he’d just used to size her up. It’s more like he’s searching his mind for a memory.
“Goddamn,” he mutters, reaching for the pack of gum that’s sitting on his desk. He opens a stick with shaky fingers and shoves it into his mouth. He motions his hand at the overflowing ashtray. “I’m trying to quit,” he says, like I give a shit. When I make no attempt to congratulate him on trying to better his health, he leans back in his chair and gestures to Lara. “You’re her daughter, aren’t you? You look a lot like her.”
Lara looks at me, waiting for permission to speak, and against all odds, my cock starts to stiffen. Her eyes widen slightly, just enough for me to know that she feels me pressing against her ass. I give a soft nod and keep a firm grip on her thigh.
She turns back to Lou. “My mom danced here?”
“Yeah, for twelve years, until she got pregnant with you.”
I can tell Lara is stunned by the news, and I quickly wrap my arm around her waist, reminding her that I’m here and that she’s not alone. She grips my hand, and asks, “Can you tell me what happened?”
Lou hesitates, looking to me for confirmation.
“Tell her everything you know.”
He keeps his eyes on mine. “Even if she doesn’t like it? Even if it involves your family?”
I don’t like being at a disadvantage, and not knowing what the fuck happened twenty years ago is annoying as fuck. I hide my irritation and say, “Everything, no matter what.”
Lou scratches at his jaw and chews his gum faster. “Chloe was a good girl. I don’t know much about her background, but I knew her home life must’ve been shit for her to come work at a place like this, but that’s not unusual.” He gives a raspy laugh. “I mean, you don’t end up shaking your tits in this dump if you have a supportive, loving family.”
We don’t say anything because he’s not wrong. This is an end-of-the-line kind of job, a desperate choice for women who have already tried every other option.
“Chloe was sweet, but she’s the type who never stops believing in fairytales, and no good ever comes from that, not in my experience at least. She was always waiting for some guy to come in and take her away from all this, save the day and ride off into the sunset with her. It never happened. She’d get her hopes up, believe the lies that men told her, and then get her heart broken time and time again.”
“Was my dad one of those guys?” Lara asks. Her voice is soft, way too gentle and pure for this dirty room and for this vile man.
“Your dad was the worst of them. He would come to the club, and your mom would take him to the back room.” He brings his eyes to mine again. “Are you sure you want me to tell everything?”
I hook a finger under Lara’s chin, gently turning her face to mine. “Are you sure you want to hear this? We can leave if you want.”
She grips my wrist. “No, please. I need to hear this. ”
I run my thumb along her cheek, savoring the touch before letting her go and nodding at Lou. If she wants to hear it, then she’s going to hear it, but if I feel like it’s too much, I’m taking her out of here, even if I have to throw her over my shoulder to do it.
Lou sighs, letting us both know he’s not thrilled about having to be the one to deliver this particular history lesson. He fidgets with the pack of gum, eyeing the ashtray with a longing that reminds me of the men we’d walked past to get here. They’d been ogling that poor woman’s tits the same way he’s eyeing those old cigarette butts.
“Out with it, Lou. The less time we spend here, the better.”
My words break his I really wish I had a cigarette trance, and he forces his eyes back to ours.
“A few months after they started hooking up, your mom found out she was pregnant. Judging by the bruise he left on your mom’s face, he must not have been too happy about it.”
I tighten my grip on Lara and run my thumb along her hand, a constant reminder that she’s not alone.
“A few days later, the rumors started spreading that the Melnikov Bratva had killed the Lebedev brothers—Osip and Konstantin.” With his elbows on the desk, Lou opens his hands and shakes his head. “I don’t know all the details, and I don’t want to know them. I didn’t then, and I sure as hell don’t want to know now. I don’t want any trouble from your family,” he tells me.
“And you won’t have any,” I say. “We just want information about Osip.”
“All I heard was that he’d hurt someone the Melnikov brothers cared for, some woman, and that they killed him for it. After that, I couldn’t let your mom keep working. She was pregnant and she was connected to shit that I didn’t want staining me. I gave her some money, and then I heard one of her old failed Prince Charming’s hooked her up with some job as a receptionist. That’s all I know.”
“What was my dad like? What was he involved in?” Lara asks, and I don’t like the numb sound to her voice.
Lou shrugs. “He was a very dangerous man that I had no desire to fuck with. I didn’t dig around because I didn’t want to know. Guys like me survive by not getting involved with guys like him. It’s not cowardice. It’s just pure fucking survival. Either one of those families could’ve easily taken me out, so I did what I had to do. I let your mom go, and then I never breathed a word of any of it to anyone.” He sighs and looks at me. “Until today, of course.”
His eyes go to Lara, and he almost looks apologetic when he says, “I’m not in the business of saving women beyond giving them a job and a way to make money. Your mom saw what she wanted to see in your dad and she clung to that.”
“That sounds like her,” Lara whispers.
“How’s she doing? I’ve thought about her over the years, wondering how she is.”
“She’s fine,” Lara quickly says, unwilling to reveal her mom’s secrets, and I fall a little harder for her when I see the spark of protective loyalty shine through.
“Glad to hear it,” Lou says. He raises his brows, giving me a pleading Are we done now? look. If he’s wondering why I don’t already know all this, he’s made the wise choice to keep his questions to himself. Not that I’m surprised by that. He’s not the kind of man who changes over time. Ten years from now, he’ll still be in this shitty office, wishing for a cigarette, and trying like hell to stay invisible to men like me.
“Any other questions, kisa ?”
She shakes her head. “I guess not. Thanks for talking with us, Lou.”
“I’m glad everything turned out okay for your mom.”
I keep my hand on her hip as we both stand up. Lou stays sitting, already reaching for the pack of cigarettes that are hidden in his top drawer.
“Don’t tell anyone we were here.” I don’t need to add that I’ll kill him if he does. His shaky fingers tell me he already knows that.
Lara and I leave his office, cigarette smoke already filling the small space as Lou gives in to his vice. Keeping my arm securely around her, we leave the dingy club, blinking when the sun hits our eyes and feeling in desperate need of a shower.
“I can’t believe my mom worked there.” Lara looks back at the shithole we just walked out of. “And my dad was an abusive jackass who hit her.” She gives a harsh laugh. “I think you were right. Maybe it’s best not to know. Maybe I should’ve stayed living in my mom’s fantasy where my dad was some sweet man who actually wanted me to be born and not some monster who abused women.”
I pull her in for a hug, and when she wraps her arms around me, she feels the gun I have tucked in my waistband and goes still. “Is that a gun?” she whispers.
“Did you really think I’d go in there with you unarmed?”
When I look down at her, I can tell that’s exactly what she’d been thinking. “There are a lot of things about my world that you’re going to need to get used to, kisa, and one of them is that I’m always armed.”
“I didn’t feel a gun on our date last night.”
“It was in the car, and I had a knife strapped to my ankle.”
“Good to know,” she whispers. “It’s not going to accidentally go off, is it?”
I smile at her innocence. “No, baby. The safety is on, and I know how to handle my weapon.”
Her cheeks turn pink, and I can’t help but laugh. “Come on, sweet girl, let’s get out of here.”
“Can you take me back to my apartment? I don’t want my mom getting suspicious.”
“Of course, but you’re going to have to tell her about me at some point.”
She grabs my shirt and pulls me closer. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for, but I won’t let anyone come between us, not even your mother.”
I kiss her head and then hand her my extra helmet, checking to make sure the strap is tight before I pull my own on. With jeans, it’s easier for her to ride behind me, and I smile when she quickly puts her feet where I taught her to. I can tell she’s already growing comfortable with the bike and with my body when she wraps her arms around me in a tight hug, fingers digging into my abs and breasts pressing against my back without me having to initiate it. Smiling behind my dark visor, I start the engine and slip into traffic.
When we’re closer, I turn my head and speak loud enough for her to hear. “Do you need me to drop you off on the corner?”
“No, it’s okay,” she hollers back.
I turn into the parking garage and bring her to the elevator. She hops off and hands me her helmet. I take mine off and set it on my thigh, resting my hand on top of it.
“Why aren’t you worried about her seeing us today?”
“She’s been having a rough few days, so she foiled our windows again.”
I can see it embarrasses her to tell me these things, so I grab her waist and pull her closer.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Thanks for going to a sleazy titty bar with me.”
I laugh and settle my hand at the small of her back, pulling her against my thigh and running my eyes over the round curve of her breast. “I’d say anytime, kisa , but I don’t ever want to step into a place like that again, and I can’t tell you how much it upsets me to know that you could’ve been in that place by yourself. Lou would’ve behaved very differently if you’d been alone.”
“I know.” She reaches up and runs her hand through my hair. “What are you doing today?”
“I’m going to talk with my cousins and see what we can find out about the Lebedev Bratva.” I kiss the breast that’s closest and look up at her. “My dad wants you to come over for supper soon. He and my mom want to meet you.”
“Well, that’s not terrifying at all.”
I smile and ghost my lips over the center of her breast, remembering exactly how she’d looked with her shirt unbuttoned and how her taut nipple had felt against my tongue. Her breath hitches, and her fingers tighten around my hair.
“You won’t be alone, sweet girl,” I remind her, “and I want them to meet you.”
“You do?”
I smile against her perfect tit and then look around, making sure the parking garage is empty. I already know there aren’t any security cameras. Keeping an ear out for any approaching cars, I grip the bottom of her shirt and slowly lift it up.
“Jesus,” I groan when I see her breasts spilling out of her bra. She’s wearing a black, lacy one today, and she looks so fucking sexy. I fill my hand with her, grazing my thumb over her nipple, watching it harden beneath my touch and strain against the lace.
“Luka,” she whispers, gripping the back of my head and pulling me closer.
“Yes?” The word is a whisper against her soft flesh, making goosebumps appear as she gives a soft sigh. “Tell me what you need, kisa .”
“I need your mouth on me.”
“Like this?” I ask, giving her nipple a soft flick of my tongue.
“More,” she begs, pulling a groan from my body as I wrap my lips around her full tit and fill my mouth with her. My spit soaks her lace and coats her skin. She rocks her hips, and when I cup her ass and give it a good squeeze, she fists my hair tighter and moans my name again.
“My name on your lips is like a fucking drug,” I murmur against her skin. “I crave it, kisa , and I always want more.”
I pinch the nipple I’m still teasing and let my teeth graze the other. I could stay here all fucking day, but the sound of an engine drawing closer has me letting out a pained groan. I give her one last suck and then reluctantly pull back and fix her shirt right as a white Honda pulls into one of the parking spots to the left of us.
She cups my face and smiles. Her skin is flushed, her pupils blown, and her eyes are begging me for so much more. I reach up and caress her cheek.
“I’m more than willing to give you every damn thing your eyes are begging me for, kisa, and when the time is right, I will.”
The driver of the Honda tries to appease her very angry toddler, and when his furious screams start echoing through the parking garage, Lara laughs and leans in to kiss me.
“I want everything with you, Luka,” she whispers against my lips.
“And you’ll get it, sweet girl, but not in a parking garage while a pissed-off toddler screams about his nap time.”
“Oh my god,” Lara laughs. “Worst first time ever.”
I smile even bigger. “Agreed. I think we can do better than that.”
“We can.” She gives me one more kiss before slowly stepping back. “Let me know if you find anything.”
“I will,” I promise her. I watch her until she disappears into the elevator, blowing me a kiss right before the doors shut. All I want to do is run up the stairs so I can grab her and bring her back to my bed, right where she belongs.
Jesus, I’ve got it bad.
With the toddler still screaming his head off, I grab my phone and send a quick text to Val.
Can you meet me at Max’s?
Sure.
I smile at how easygoing my cousin is and put my helmet back on. We all live close together, but Lara’s apartment is on the other side of the city, so by the time I get to my Uncle Danil’s penthouse, Val’s Jaguar is already parked in the underground garage. I squeeze my bike in next to his car and make my way to the private elevator. My family is big on security, so when I use the keycard that all our family members have and the doors open, I step in and smile at the hidden security camera in the corner.
By the time I’m at their door, my Aunt Simona is already opening it with a smile and pulling me in for a hug.
“Good to see you, honey. Max and Val are upstairs.” I follow her into their large kitchen, and my stomach growls as soon as I see the large tray of food she’s preparing, reminding me that I haven’t eaten yet today .
“Hey, Luka.” I look over and see my Uncle Danil. He walks into the kitchen, and as soon as his eyes land on his wife, he smiles and pulls her in for a hug, whispering something in her ear that makes her laugh and blush.
Apparently, all the men in my family are the same, and I never stood a fucking chance. We all turn to mush when we see the women we love.
The thought comes to me effortlessly, and as insane as it is, I know it’s true. I love Lara, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. She’s gotten under my skin, affected me like no one else ever has, and I refuse to question it or turn my back on it just because it didn’t take me a year to figure it out. Sometimes you just know.
“This looks delicious, sladkaya. ” My uncle keeps one arm around my aunt and reaches with the other to grab one of the sandwiches she’s made. He’s not wrong. It does look and smell amazing. The tray is filled with croissant sandwiches stuffed with chicken salad, a large bowl of chips, and fruit salad in another.
“It does, Aunt Simona. Thank you.”
She reaches up and gives my cheek a soft pat. “Save some for your brother. Niki said he was coming over in a bit.”
I smile down at her. “I will.” My four aunts are like second mothers to me. When we were younger, my cousins and I were constantly house hopping, so it felt like I was at their apartments just as much as I was at mine. Before she lets me go, she pats my cheek again and says, “We want to meet your girl.”
I look at my uncle, who just laughs and holds up a hand. “Don’t look at me. I think we all know who the gossip queen is in our family. Vitaly texted us about her days ago.”
“Jesus,” I groan.
My aunt leans against him and laughs. “We promise to be nice.”
My uncle wraps an arm around her upper chest and pulls her tighter against him. “Of course we will. We won’t even bring out baby photos.”
“Oh, but he was such a cute baby,” my Aunt Simona says, giving me the sweet smile all the women in my family get when thinking about a baby. Well, everyone except my cousin Mia. I think if you handed her a baby, she’d run away screaming. She loves her niece, but I think that’s only because she can give her back at the end of the day.
“Thank you for the food,” I tell them, grabbing the tray and turning my back on their laughter. I really hope Lara doesn’t scare easily, because my family is going to lay it on thick.
I walk through the large living room and head up the stairs, walking past the home gym and the room that holds Max’s most prized possession—the piano his mom surprised him with when he was thirteen and it was obvious he had a gift that couldn’t be ignored. My Aunt Simona is a gifted pianist, but she never once forced it on Max. He would beg her for lessons, obsessed with getting the fingerings down, hitting every note perfectly, and as talented as she is, her son quickly surpassed her. He’s as skilled with a piano as Niki is with a computer, and it’s his younger brother’s wildly brilliant mind that I’ve come here for.
Stepping into the large room at the end of the hall, I see Max and Val on the couch, and I’m not at all surprised to see Yelena sitting next to Val with a controller in her hand. She’s currently kicking their asses in a racing game with a smile playing at her lips. Niki’s in the chair next to them, laptop opened and fingers flying across the keyboard.
I set the tray down on the coffee table right as Yelena’s red race car crosses the finish line followed closely by Val’s orange car.
“I almost got you that time,” he tells her, a huge grin on his face.
She pats his leg and gives him a sure you did smile that makes him laugh. I sit on the other side of Max and start filling a plate while the others do the same. When I’m working on my second sandwich, Val finishes off his third and looks over at me.
“So you gonna tell us what’s going on?”
Right as I’m about to start talking, my younger brother walks in. He grabs a croissant and sits in the chair by Niki, saving me from having to repeat myself. While the rest of them eat, I fill them in on what’s been happening. I leave out some of the more personal details, like the oral sex on the roof and her mom foiling their windows, but I tell them about Osip Lebedev and the conversation we had with Lou.
It’s Yelena who breaks the silence when I’m done. “Do you think this is about my mom?”
She’s not saying anything we’re not already thinking. Our family is tight-lipped about anything involving her mom’s disappearance, but we all know something big happened around the time I was born.
“Do you know anything more about it?” I ask her. “All my dad will say is that his sister was kidnapped and that it took our dads two years to find her. When I ask him who did it, he just says they’re all dead and for me to not worry about it.”
“That’s what mine says,” Val adds.
“Same here,” Max says.
Yelena shakes her head. “Anytime I mention anything about it, she gets the saddest look on her face, and I can’t ever bring myself to push it. It’s like making her open up a painful wound that she spent years trying to heal. I just can’t do it to her, and my dad,” she gives another soft shake of her head, “don’t even think about mentioning it in front of him. He’s crazy protective of my mom and refuses to do or say anything that might cause her pain. I asked him about it one time. ” She holds up a finger for emphasis. “He told me that those two years nearly destroyed the both of them and that she’d needed him and he hadn’t been able to protect her. I’ve never heard my dad sound so distraught before. He asked me to please not ever bring it up again because it hurt too damn much to talk about. I never have, and I never will.”
She looks at me when she says that last bit, making sure I understand her. I do, so I nod back and turn to Niki.
“Want to test your skills?”
His eyes are the same blue-grey as his older brother’s, and the mischievous glint in them is all the answer I need. Nothing makes Nikita happier than being able to use his computer skills in new and illegal ways.
Fingers poised above his keyboard, he asks, “What do you need?”
“I want anything you can find on Osip Lebedev, and his brother’s name was Konstantin.” He’s already started navigating through god knows what when I ask, “Do you have any moral qualms about hacking into your dad’s computer?”
He laughs without taking his eyes off his screen. “I have very few morals, Luka, you know that, but if I see any home videos involving my mom, I will never fucking forgive you.”
I laugh while Val says, “You know he has some. I’ve heard my dad making enough jokes about your parents to know they’re into some kinky shit.”
“I just ate,” Max reminds him, “and I’d like to keep it down.”
We all laugh, but the truth is all our parents probably have secret files on their computers that none of us want to know about. Our parents have never hid their affection, and instead of the simmering-down phase most married couples seem to experience, we’re all convinced our parents just get hornier the older they get. I’m happy for them, but that doesn’t mean I want to sit around thinking about it, and I sure as hell don’t want any visuals.
Val grabs the bowl of chips and looks over at me. “So what are you going to do about Lara’s mom? You’re going to have to meet her at some point.”
“I’m not sure yet,” I admit. “The only thing I do know is that there’s no way in hell she’s going to keep me from her daughter.”
“So when do we get to meet her?” Yelena pops a grape in her mouth and smiles at me.
“My dad already told me he wants me to bring her to dinner, but if I know our family, then every single one of you will be crashing it before we’ve even gotten to dessert, so I guess I’ll just save everyone the hassle and bring her with me to Dominic’s on Sunday.”
“Wow, throwing her in the deep end,” Val says with a grin.
“I don’t have much of a choice. Our family doesn’t do subtle.”
“No,” Max agrees. “We’re good at a lot of things, but being subtle isn’t one of them. If she can survive a family supper at Dominic’s, then she can survive anything.”
“She can survive it,” I say, having complete confidence in my girl, but she won’t have to do it alone. I’ll be right by her side the entire night.
When Val and Yelena pick their controllers back up, I reach for the bowl of chips and tell them my plans for moving into the penthouse. I don’t tell them Lara will be joining me as soon as I can pack up her stuff, but they know me well enough to know where this is going, so I’m not surprised when Max looks at his brother and says, “When you’re done with the Lebedev stuff, start looking around for another apartment. I’m guessing Luka’s not going to want us barging in at all hours of the night.”
I think about Lara splayed out on the hammock—pink pussy swollen and dripping for me.
“No, definitely not.”
He laughs and reaches over to lightly smack his brother on the arm. “Try to find a standalone. I’m getting sick of apartments.”
“You could always move out to the farmhouse,” I tease. Natalya had nicknamed the property our families share when she was little, and the name stuck. It’s not really a farmhouse, though. It’s a huge house on a lot of land that’s about an hour out of the city. We used to go out there all the time when we were younger and still spend at least one weekend a month there. It’s the perfect place to go and forget about the city and the Bratva stress.
Max laughs. “Way too remote. I’m a city boy at heart.”
We all know the real reason is that it’s too far away. We all have a responsibility to this family, and part of that is being there when one of them needs you, and living an hour away isn’t going to cut it.
Niki gives his brother a thumbs up to let him know he heard him, not bothering to look up from his screen while he does it. Max and Damien both grab controllers while I pull my phone out and send a text to Lara. I’m already missing her, not giving the slightest fuck that I’m what would be called pussy whipped . I have no problem with it. In fact, I kind of like it. With a grin playing at my lips, I send her a quick message.
When can I see you again?